Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, injured in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), was resting a day later after undergoing surgery on his spleen, according to a Jockeys' Guild official.

In the aftermath of a jockey's death as the result of a massive brain injury July 5 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif., management has agreed to staff its track ambulance with a licensed paramedic.

A reduction in the allowable level of the common pain reliever phenylbutazone in post-race tests was approved on a split vote by the California Horse Racing Board July 21 over the objections of horsemen.

Whether it's the Osbournes or the Jon-Kate Eight, Americans love watching the real-life tension of personal relationships played out on their television screens. For jockeys Mike Smith and Chantal Sutherland, whose romantic affair was a primary focus during the first season of "Jockeys," it was enough to give them second thoughts about their involvement in the documentary series.

A lawsuit by the Jockeys' Guild against former chief executive officer Wayne Gertmenian and others has been dismissed by a Los Angeles federal court judge, but a related California state court trial is still scheduled for mid-October.

The California Horse Racing Board tabled action banning horses that have undergone "heel nerving" surgery from being raced or sold in the state after the agency's equine medical director objected to the proposed rule amendment.

Regulators attending the Association of Racing Commissioners International annual conference April 26 approved a number of model rules, including the prohibition in horses of nearly all anabolic steroid use.

The California Horse Racing Board will begin enforcing a regulation prohibiting the use of front toe grabs exceeding four millimeters in length after commissioners voted Feb. 22 to reverse their decision last month to ignore the rule.

Dwight Manley, who just eight days ago signed a contract as the new national manager of The Jockeys' Guild, said on TVG Saturday afternoon that a settlement had been reached the previous evening with permanently disabled jockey Gary Birzer.

The California Horse Racing Board turned its attention to jockey protection at its meeting July 20 at Del Mar, moving along one rule change that would make safety reins mandatory and a second that revises criteria for vest standards.

Jockeys' Guild officials are optimistic the organization's finances will improve, but much hinges upon the resolution of lawsuits, payments by some jockeys for health insurance, and contributions from racetracks.

Many of the jockeys who were instrumental in overthrowing the controversial management team at the Jockeys' Guild last fall and moving the organization in a new direction were re-elected to the organization's senate after the ballots were counted June 5.

The launch of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund is a clear sign the relationship between jockeys and other industry groups is improving, but they remain at odds over a proposal by some members of Congress to amend the Interstate Horseracing Act to provide insurance for jockeys and others who make their living at the racetrack.

Making sure there are qualified paramedics on hand at racetracks became a touchstone issue during a panel discussion Thursday afternoon during the Association for Racing Commissioners International conference.

A bill to provide workers' compensation insurance to licensed Thoroughbred jockeys cleared the Kentucky House Committee on Licensing and Occupations March 8, but not without questions and cautions from committee members.

The Jockeys' Guild, in a Dec. 15 press release, indicated its proposed slate of directors for the Disabled Jockeys' Endowment was rejected, and that associates of former president Dr. Wayne Gertmenian were named to oversee the fund.

An internal investigation conducted by new Jockeys' Guild leadership reveals nearly $2.1 million was spent using funds that were earmarked for other purposes during former Guild president Dr. Wayne Gertmenian's tenure, according to a Guild press release issued Thursday.

Injured jockey Gary Birzer has filed a $10-million lawsuit against the Jockeys' Guild and two former officers stemming from his accident at Mountaineer Race Track in 2004, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A day after a 16-year-old apprentice jockey died in a racing accident at an Ohio track, racing officials and representatives from horsemen's groups met Thursday before a Congressional subcommittee to report on their ongoing efforts in addressing safety, health and welfare issues for jockeys and their perspectives on on-track injury insurance.

The Jockeys' Guild has issued a statement that former Guild president Wayne Gertmenian issued checks totaling $217,000 to himself, his Matrix Capital Associates, and former Guild vice president Albert Fiss.

Soon after the Jockeys' Guild senate elected a new board that voted to terminate the management contract of Matrix Capital Associations Nov. 15, a few Guild members and employees were involved in an altercation with deposed management representatives at the Guild office in Monrovia, Calif.

Jockeys took back the reins of the Jockeys' Guild Tuesday when they voted to remove Guild president Dr. Wayne Gertmenian from his post, terminate the Guild's relationship with Gertmenian's consulting firm, Matrix Capital Associates, and appoint Guild national member representative Darrell Haire as temporary national manager of the organization.

A growing number of jockeys across the United States are demanding the immediate resignation of Wayne Gertmenian president and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild and the termination of any relationship with his management company Matrix Capital Associates.

Darrell Haire, one of the more recognizable faces of the Jockeys' Guild as a national member representative who often appears at industry meetings on behalf of riders, on Nov. 9 called for the immediate resignation of Guild president Dr. Wayne Gertmenian.

How much weight does a horse actually carry in a race? No matter what the program says, nobody seems to know for sure. The California Horse Racing Board hopes an ad hoc committee can help revamp pre-race weigh-in practices.

A blue ribbon panel to study and resolve jockey insurance issues in Kentucky entertained opinions from industry representatives, including jockey and owners, Thursday about what form jockeys' insurance should take in the Commonwealth and who should pay for it.

Jockeys' Guild officials asked the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority Monday to consider a proposal regarding the adoption of new safety reins for jockeys they said better withstand tension and frequent use and could prevent accidents.

Jockeys' Guild officials asked the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority March 21 to consider a new scale of weights for jockeys that would require a minimum body weight of 118 pounds without equipment and a minimum body fat requirement of 5%.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority is reviewing a policy submitted by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association that would outline the guidelines for jockeys to wear advertisements while riding in the state.

A top official with the Jockeys' Guild has questioned the purpose of a new task force on insurance and indicated a resolution wouldn't be reached until the industry recognizes it must deal with Dr. Wayne Gertmenian, president and chief executive officer of the Guild.